Overall Teaching

Avalokiteśvara has the power to help beings overcome their fears through various methods and thereby allow them to aspire to attain buddhahood. His name has great power if remembered when in peril.

Summary

1.     Reflecting on Veṣṭhila’s instructions, and remembering his teachings, Sudhana proceeded to Mount Potalaka.[1]

2.     Climbing the mountain he saw Avalokiteśvara[2] on a plateau on the west of the mountain,[3] adorned with springs, ponds, and streams,[4] sitting on a diamond boulder[5] in a clearing in a large woods surrounded by bodhisattvas and teaching them the “light of the medium of great love and compassion.”

3.     Sudhana, upon seeing Avalokiteśvara, reflected upon the great benefit from meeting spiritual benefactors and how rare it is. Then he went up to him. 

4.     Upon approaching, Avalokiteśvara welcomed and praised him, especially his goal to liberate all beings and allow them to experience the teachings of all buddhas with tireless will, all firmly rooted in great compassion.

5.     Sudhana then requested of him to instruct him how to engage in the practice of bodhisattvas. To which Avalokiteśvara replied:

a.     He knows the practiced called “undertaking great compassion without delay” whereby he appears in the midst of all beings in various forms, taking care of, teaching, and doing magical projections all according to their mentalities and abilities.

b.     In this way, he has vowed to be a refuge for all beings and free them from fears of calamities, hardships, sufferings, and various types of perils. He has thus caused his name to be known in all worlds so that beings might through it drive away fears. He causes beings’ tranquility and thereby inspires them to seek buddhahood.

c.     He claims he has only attained this but cannot tell the practice of the bodhisattvas who have undertaken Samantabhadra’s practice and perfected all vows to turn away beings from saṃsāra.[6]

6.     Then in verse it summarises first what has happened, and then elaborates with the following points:

a.     On hearing or remembering his name, those in the following calamities are freed from their bonds:

i. Those in the grip of enemies, injured, and imprisoned.

ii.                  Those who are shot or attacked with weapons—they break. iii. They succeed in disputes against kings, and increase in repute among friends. iv. They go without fear in the wilderness.

v.    Those falling into flames fall instead into lotuses in a pond of water.

vi.   Those in the sea will not die, or those being burned. vii. They will be released from fetters, scorn, and abuse. viii. Those who slander or faultfind on one, will become friendly towards one. ix. Evil magicians will be appeased, and poisons won’t be effective against them.

x. Malicious spirits, demons, will all be quelled, even in dreams. xi. One will not be separated from family or become destitute. xii. One will not go into the lower realms.

xiii. One will be reborn with sound body and mind, and be friendly.

b.     Those who offer to him will be worthy of offerings in his buddha-land.

c.     Those who hear remember his name see all buddhas and hear their teaching.

d.     He has developed one liberation and cannot know all virtues of the virtuous.

e.     Sudhana has attended many spiritual benefactors, thus joy must arise in him.

7.     Then Bodhisattva Ananyagāmin flew from the east and stood on the surrounding mountain range. When he set foot there, the whole world appeared to be made of jewels and all ills ceased. He appeared to go to the Buddha and cause countless offerings be made to him, please all beings, and also come to Avalokiteśvara on Potalaka.[7]

8.     Avalokiteśvara then asked Sudhana if he saw Ananyagāmin, and instructed him to ask him to teach him.

9.     Sudhana, paying his respects, left.

[1] “Potalaka is a mountain where many small white flowers grow; this represents the modesty and compassionate behaviour of the bodhisattva.”

[2] Represents the seventh dedication: According to all Sentient Beings. “Avalokiteśvara represents living in the ocean of birth and death, helping beings compassionately. This is one of the three laws that make up the virtues of Vairocana, the Illuminator Buddha; the other two are the subtle principle of the spiritual body represented by Mañjuśrī and the myriad acts of the body of knowledge represented by Samantabhadra.

 “Avalokiteśvara lives on a mountain of little white flowers to show people they should not do even a little wrong and should not abandon even a little good.”

[3] “West is the direction associated with killing and punishment, meaning a place calling for the practice of compassionate education. The great compassion of the bodhisattva is paramount, intent on the benefit of beings (1601) and not dwelling on personal rewards, so he lives in the material world of sentient beings, represented by the mountainside.”

[4] “The springs and streams represent the clear shining of the heart of compassion, the woods represent the dense shade of works of kindness.”

[5] “This symbolizes adamantine (vajra) knowledge going along with compassion, their subtle functions meshing without disturbance.”

[6] This shows how “Avalokiteśvara represents the universal compassion of buddhas of all times. Therefore from here on, even to the tenth stage, all levels are associated with great compassion, but in this rank one enters the ordinary world and great compassion becomes fulfilled; so Avalokiteśvara says he has perfected it.” 

[7] “Ananyagāmin came from the sky because true knowledge has no resting place. The surrounding mountains are the deluded attachments of sentient beings to conditioned realms; the earthquakes represent the disappearance of delusion on the appearance of knowledge. The light outshining the sun, moon, and stars is the light of uncontaminated knowledge that cannot be reached by the lights resulting from worldly actions. Ananyagāmin coming to where Avalokiteśvara was represents great knowledge coming back to compassion.” (1602)